tune in – Autumn / winter 2011 –
backstage What was your first experience of music and playing the oboe? I came into the world of music quite late. I was 15 when my school music teacher found an old oboe in the cupboard and suggested I try it. She brought out this musty, ancient, obviously unloved ‘thing’ – the instrument was in a shocking state and I’m not quite sure how I got on with it really but the rest, as they say, is history! In those days music was flourishing where I lived, with abundant talented peripatetic teachers, wind band nights and Saturday music school. I was very lucky. The first piece of classical music that I remember listening to was my grandfather’s favourite piece, Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar, which of course has a beautiful cor anglais solo in it. I have a strong emotional attachment to this piece and I’m looking forward to performing it with the Orchestra on 25 November. Was the cor anglais a natural progression? Most oboists these days play the cor and vice versa. I studied the oboe at the Royal Academy of Music but on being invited to play on a course where they needed me to play the cor anglais, I had to borrow a spare one that was lying around at the Academy. This instrument happened to belong to Lady Barbirolli. My teacher and I were in tears of laughter when I first tried to play it as it’s quite a stretch to reach the keys for those not blessed with long limbs! Lady Barbirolli generously sold me the cor in many instalments and this is the instrument I play today. In my last year at the Academy I was offered the second oboe/cor anglais position with the Royal Ballet and I suppose from that moment I was known as a cor player. What have been the highlights of your career so far? Being offered the cor anglais job in the LPO comes top! Playing Sibelius’s Swan of Tuonela at the front of the Royal Festival Hall with Wolfgang Sawallisch, and Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde with Vladimir Jurowski and Jiří Bělohlávek at Glyndebourne. Being part of some stunning orchestral arrangements by Vince Mendoza accompanying Joni Mitchell on three of her CDs, and playing some incredible film scores by the likes of Howard Shore and James Horner.
the scenes making our reeds. Cutting up bamboo and tying bits on to tiny metal tubes is all a little crazy. So, in answer to your question, sometimes we aren’t left with much time to actually practise!
– Sue bohling – Sue is Principal Cor Anglais of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as a member of the Board of Directors. We caught up with her to find out about life in the Orchestra and what she’s looking forward to in the 2011/12 season In which concerts this coming season should we especially listen out for your solos? A favourite of mine is Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances; Shostakovich’s mighty Eighth Symphony on 26 October has a long cor anglais solo that you can’t miss, and on 25 November we perform Rodrigo’s Guitar Concerto with Craig Ogden. Plenty to keep me busy! How much practice do orchestral players do? Some of my colleagues are seldom separated from their instruments but personally I don’t always do enough – however it’s not through choice! Our schedules are sometimes so full that there’s barely time to keep up with what we’re playing which day, and in which country. As well as learning new repertoire, double reed players spend a lot of time behind
Your chair in the Orchestra is supported by Julian and Gill Simmonds. What does this involve? The Orchestra is blessed with incredible support from our Trustees, Friends, Benefactors and Thomas Beecham Group patrons. Their generosity is not only financial but also in spirit. Julian and Gill’s love for the arts and for our work in particular is both heartwarming and motivating, and their enthusiasm has genuinely changed the way I feel about my work and musical life. As players we can easily become super-critical of our own efforts, so it’s very refreshing to hear their side of the concert experience. Their support and friendship is very important to me personally and to the whole Orchestra. You have been a member of the Board of Directors of the Orchestra since 2005. Can you tell us more about this? The Board represents the players in the Orchestra. As the Orchestra is essentially owned and run by the players who are all shareholders, regular decisions have to be made at ground level. It can be anything from ‘Do you think we can change that 5.30am start?’ on a tour, to crucial financial decisions. The Board meets often to stay on top of things and emails will sometimes be exchanged in the early hours. Being a Board member makes you acutely aware of the inner workings of the Orchestra and the hard work that is done on our behalf behind the scenes. I have made some great friends, met fanatical music lovers and loyal LPO supporters, and this makes all the hard work worthwhile. How do you like to spend your spare time? Spare time is a rare thing – looking after a job, home, children and husband tend to fill the days very easily! My husband and I love walking around London on Sundays or evenings when it’s a little quieter, discovering little pockets of the city you don’t usually see. We love good food so make the most of a free day or evening together planning a good feast for family or friends.
Newsletter published by the London Philharmonic Orchestra 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TP Tel: 020 7840 4200 Fax: 020 7840 4201 Box Office: 020 7840 4242 lpo.org.uk
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